Saddle and sheeting head using the same

ABSTRACT

A saddle for a sheeting head includes a pair of semi-circular concave edges configured to seal a pair of rollers. The oppositely facing concave edges each include a tongue that fits in a corresponding groove in the roller and a retracted concave edge adapted to wrap around half the roller surface. The saddle includes a top portion wherein the concave edges downwardly converge, and a bottom portion wherein the concave edges downwardly diverge. A narrow waist is provided at the proximal-most position of the concave edges and adapted to fit in a pinch point between the rollers. A sheeting head assembly incorporating the saddle may include a sidewall to which the saddle need not be fastened. The self-locking characteristics of the saddle enable an assembly to omit sidewalls altogether.

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.10/325,369, filed Dec. 20, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,644.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to sheeting head assemblies forprocessing food.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

Sheeting heads are typically used for receiving and flattening doughinto thin sheets out of which food products, such as tortillas andchips, are cut. A conventional sheeting head generally includes a pairof counter-rotating rollers disposed along a horizontal plane and placedbeneath a container, also known as a hopper, which receives the dough.The hopper may include means for propelling the dough out of thecontainer toward the rollers. The sidewalls of the container may extenddownwardly and also serve as walls to which the rollers are coupled.

In conventional sheeting heads, the sticky, expanding dough can travelin between the rollers and the adjacent walls. Such undesirable doughcan internally damage the machine by penetrating into the bearings andother machine parts. The prior art includes inserts shaped to conform tothe round surfaces of the rollers and configured to fit therebetween.The inserts are affixed to plates, such as with conventional fasteners,which are interposed between the ends of the rollers and the sidewallsextending from the container. The problem with such inserts, however, isthat the dough may travel in between the insert and the sidewall towhich it is connected, thereby causing the sidewall to expand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,885 effectively solves this problem with a tongueand groove structure. A tongued saddle is converges downwardly to a tipthat is adapted to fit in the pinch point between the rollers. Thetongue is adapted mate with grooves defined near the ends of therollers. Hopper sidewalls, however, must be provided for supporting theinsert. Furthermore, the insert must be mechanically coupled to thehopper sidewall using a variety of fastening mechanisms.

Therefore, what is needed is a sheeting head saddle that facilitateseasier assembly and less expensive manufacturing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides structures and methods which overcome thedeficiencies in the prior art.

In one aspect, a saddle is provided for a sheeting head assembly. Thesaddle comprises a first portion including a first concave edge, and asecond portion including a second concave edge opposite to the firstconcave edge. The first concave edge has a substantially semi-circularshape and includes a first tongue. The second concave edge has asubstantially semi-circular shape and includes a second tongue. Thefirst portion is preferably integral with the second portion.Collectively, the first portion and the second portion form anhour-glass shaped body.

The first tongue is arched substantially to include both a firstdownwardly extending portion and a first upwardly extending portion. Thesecond tongue is arched substantially to include both a seconddownwardly extending portion and a second upwardly extending portion.The first concave edge further comprises a substantially semi-circularfirst retracted edge. The second concave edge further comprises asubstantially semi-circular second retracted edge.

In a further aspect, a saddle for a sheeting head comprises a topportion and a bottom portion. The top portion includes a first topconcave edge, an opposite second top concave edge, and a first tonguedefined on either the first top concave edge or the second top concaveedge. The top concave edges converge downwardly. The bottom portionincludes a first bottom concave edge, an opposite second bottom concaveedge, and a second tongue defined on either the first bottom concaveedge or the second bottom concave edge. The bottom concave edges divergedownwardly. The top portion is preferably integral with the bottomportion. The first top concave edge is preferably continuous with thefirst bottom concave edge. The second top concave edge is preferablycontinuous with the second bottom concave edge.

In another aspect, a sheeting head assembly is provided. The assemblycomprises a first roller with a first groove, a second roller with asecond groove, and a saddle fitted in between the rollers. The saddlecomprises a first semi-circular, concave edge configured to mate withthe first roller and a second semi-circular concave edge configured tomate the second roller. The first concave edge includes a first tongueconfigured to slidably fit in the first groove. The second concave edgeincludes a second tongue configured to slidably fit in the secondgroove. The first concave edge surrounds the first roller from a top andbottom direction. The second concave edge surrounds the second rollerfrom a top and bottom direction.

The first roller is spaced apart from the second roller to define apinch point. The saddle comprises a waist disposed in the pinch point.The saddle further comprises a lower portion extending downwardly fromthe waist. The first concave edge and the second concave edge areincluded in the lower portion. The first concave edge and the secondconcave edge in the lower portion diverge as the concave edges extenddownwardly.

The first concave edge includes a first retracted concave edgeconfigured to wrap around half a circumference of the first roller. Thesecond edge includes a second retracted concave edge configured to wraparound half a circumference of the second roller. The assembly mayinclude a sidewall disposed adjacent to a first pair of ends of therollers. Since the saddle is self-fitting, the saddle may abut thesidewall without fasteners. Alternatively, the assembly may omitsidewalls altogether since the saddle is self-locking. The assembly mayfurther comprise a hopper disposed above the rollers.

A method is also provided for preventing dough in a hopper from escapinginto space between a pair of rollers and a side wall. The methodcomprises providing a pair of counter-rotating rollers, forming a grooveadjacent to a first end of each roller such that the grooves of therollers are aligned, coupling the rollers to a side wall, providing asaddle with a pair of concave edges, forming a tongue on each edge, anddisposing the tongues in the grooves from a top and a bottom direction.The method further comprises abutting the side wall with the saddlewithout fasteners as well as fitting the saddle in between the rollerswithout any fasteners.

In summary, a saddle for a sheeting head includes a pair ofsemi-circular concave edges configured to seal a pair of rollers. Theoppositely facing concave edges each include a tongue that fits in acorresponding groove in the roller and a retracted concave edge adaptedto wrap around half the roller surface. The saddle includes a topportion wherein the concave edges downwardly converge, and a bottomportion wherein the concave edges downwardly diverge. A narrow waist isprovided at the proximal-most position of the concave edges and adaptedto fit in a pinch point between the rollers. A sheeting head assemblyincorporating the saddle may include a sidewall to which the saddle neednot be fastened. The self-locking characteristics of the saddle enablean assembly to omit sidewalls altogether.

The invention, now having been briefly summarized, may be betterappreciated by the following detailed description and reference to thefigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a saddleaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the preferred embodiment of thesaddle;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, partial view of a preferred embodiment of asheeting head assembly;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the sheetinghead assembly;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the preferred embodiment of thesheeting head assembly;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred sheeting head assemblytaken along lines 5′-5′ of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred sheeting head assemblytaken along lines 6′-6′ of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of asheeting head assembly without sidewalls;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of a second preferred embodiment of asaddle;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of thesaddle; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the second preferred embodiment ofthe saddle taken along lines 11-11 of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understoodby turning to the following detailed description wherein illustratedembodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that theillustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way oflimitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of a saddle for a sheeting headis illustrated and designated generally by the reference numeral 10. Thesaddle 10 comprises a single, integral structure in the preferredembodiment. It is to be expressly understood, however, that saddle 10may comprise a plurality of separate components coupled together. Thesaddle 10 comprises a first concave edge 20 and an oppositely facingsecond concave edge 22. Each edge 20, 22 comprises an arc that is atleast greater than 90° and preferably less than 180°.

The first edge 20 is defined in a first half 24 of the saddle 10 whilethe second edge 22 is defined in a second half 26. Alternatively stated,the first edge 20 comprises a first top concave edge 28 defined in a topportion 31 of the saddle 10. The first top concave edge 28 is continuouswith a first bottom concave edge 33 defined in a bottom portion 35 ofthe saddle. The second edge 22 also comprises a second top concave edge37 defined in the top portion 31 of the saddle 10 that is continuouswith a second bottom concave edge 39 defined in the bottom portion 35.The top concave edges 28, 37 converge as they extend downwardly to thenarrowest section, or waist, 41 of the saddle 10. From the waist 41, thebottom concave edges 33, 39 diverge as they extend downwardly.

As a unitary structure, the top portion 31 is integral with the bottomportion 35 to generally form a hourglass shape. The first edge 20 andsecond edge 22 are adapted to receive a first and second roller,respectively, as further described below in connection with FIGS. 3-7.

In the preferred embodiment, the first concave edge 20 includes a firstprotruding tongue 43 disposed between a first pair of retracted edges47, 47′ as best shown in FIG. 6. Similarly, the second concave edge 22comprises a second protruding tongue 45 disposed between a second pairof retracted edges 49, 49′. Since the tongues 43, 45 extendsubstantially along the lengths of their respective edges 20, 22, thetongues 43, 45 are thus concave and substantially semi-circular,defining an arc greater than 90° and preferably less than 180°.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, partial view of a sheeting head assembly 100incorporating the saddles 10 according to the invention. The sheetinghead assembly 100 preferably includes two saddles 10, namely, oneadjacent to each pair of ends of the rollers 51, 53. For purposes ofclarity, however, only one saddle 10 is illustrated here. The assembly100 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as it might actually exist prior toinstallation of the saddle 10. In particular, the assembly 100 includesa first roller 51 and a second roller 53 disposed substantially alongthe same horizontal plan. The pair of rollers 51, 53 are configured tocounter-rotate with respect to each other so as to form the rough clumpsof dough disposed thereon into thin sheets out of which certain foodproducts may be cut.

Each roller 51, 53 includes opposite ends 55. Grooves 57 are definedadjacent to the ends 55 of each roller 51, 53 and configured to matewith the tongues 43, 45 of the saddle 10. For ease of assembly, thegrooves 57 are provided with identical configurations and placed alongcorresponding positions of the rollers 51, 53 such that the grooves 57of the first roller 51 are aligned with grooves 57 of the second roller53 when the rollers 51, 53 are brought into a proximate relationship.

In a preferred method of assembly, the rollers 51, 53 are spaced apartto provide room for placing the saddles 10. The narrowest gap betweenthe rollers 51, 53 define a pinch point “P”. In FIG. 3 where the rollers51, 53 are spaced apart, an expanded, non-operative pinch point “P” isprovided. Each saddle 10 is preferably disposed with its waist 41located 2 to 3 inches beneath the pinch point “P”.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the rollers 51, 53 are brought together, therebydefining a narrow, or operative, pinch point “P”. As the rollers 51, 53are brought into a proximate relationship, the tongues 43, 45 of thesaddle 10 are thus disposed in the grooves 57 of the rollers 51, 53,respectively. The retracted edges 47, 49 are contoured to wrap aroundthe surfaces 59 of the rollers 51, 53. Unlike prior art saddles whichonly surround a top portion of the rollers, each concave edge 20, 22surrounds the corresponding roller 51, 53 from a top direction and abottom direction, thereby wrapping around approximately half thecircumference of each roller 51, 53. It will be appreciated that thecombination of the waist 41 and the bottom portion 35 extending beneaththe pinch point “P” facilitates the self-locking and self-adjustingcharacteristics of the saddle 10 that is lacking in prior art saddles.

In FIG. 1, the saddle 10 comprises a top edge 61, bottom edge 63, andside edges 65 which are all preferably beveled. The saddle 10 furtherincludes a roller facing surface 67 that is disposed medially withrespect to the ends 55 of the rollers 51, 53 when installed, as bestshown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7.

With the rollers 51, 53 in an operative position as shown in FIGS. 7 and8, the pinch point “P” is substantially narrow so as to flatten thedough into a thin sheet. Since the saddle 10 extends through this narrowpinch point “P”, the waist 41 must accordingly be narrow enough to fitthrough the pinch point “P”, but thick enough so as to not compromisethe structural integrity of the saddle 10. To accomplish this, the waist41 comprises thin portions 71 and a thick mid-portion 73. In FIG. 6, itwill be appreciated that the retracted edges 47, 49 define the thinportions 71, one of which is substantially thin so as to fit in theoperative pinch point “P”. The rigidity of the saddle 10, however, ismaintained by the thicker lateral portion 73 defined by the tongues 43,45.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the sheeting head assembly100 comprises sidewalls 80 disposed adjacent to the ends 55 of therollers 51, 53. With prior art saddles, sidewalls were necessary forsupporting the saddles. It will be appreciated that with theself-fitting characteristics of the saddle 10 according to theinvention, the saddle 10 need not be mechanically coupled to thesidewall 80 as with prior art saddles. The saddle 10 thus abuts thesidewall 80 without requiring any fasteners, though they may beoptionally provided.

It will be further appreciated that the self-locking characteristics ofthe saddle 10 according to the invention enables sidewalls to be omittedaltogether as shown in a further preferred embodiment 200 of a sheetinghead assembly in FIG. 8. Without sidewalls, however, the saddle 10 mustsufficiently restrain the large dough clumps placed on top of therollers 51, 53 from escaping laterally. To accomplish this, the saddle10 may be provided with a larger roller facing surface 59 by expandingthe periphery 61, 63, 65. To save costs in manufacturing, it may bepreferable to expand the roller facing surface 59 in the top portion 31only since dough which gets pressed through the pinch point “P” will besufficiently restrained by the tongue-and-groove feature of the assembly100.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate a second preferred embodiment 300 of a saddle.Unlike the first preferred embodiment 100 of the saddle shown in FIGS.1-8, the second preferred embodiment 300 omits the front retracted edges47, 49, as shown in FIG. 6, but includes the rear retracted edges 347′,349′. Thus, the second preferred saddle 300 has a roller face surface367 that is flush with tongues 343, 345 whereas the roller facingsurface 67 in the first preferred saddle 10 protrudes forwardly from thetongues 43, 45 as shown in FIG. 1.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustratedembodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples andthat they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined bythe following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that theelements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, itmust be expressly understood that the invention includes othercombinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosedin above even when not initially claimed in such combinations.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and itsvarious embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of theircommonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in thisspecification the generic structure, material or acts of which theyrepresent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are,therefore, defined in this specification to not only include thecombination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense itis therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or moreelements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below orthat a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in aclaim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expresslyunderstood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can insome cases be excised from the combination and that the claimedcombination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of asubcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by aperson with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, areexpressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of theclaims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one withordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of thedefined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specificallyillustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, whatcan be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essentialidea of the invention.

1. A method for preventing dough in a hopper from escaping into spacebetween a pair of rollers and a side wall while sheeting dough, themethod comprising: providing a pair of counter-rotating rollers thatdefine a pinch point; coupling the rollers to a side wall; sheetingdough into a thin sheet in the pinch point defined by thecounter-rotating rollers; and preventing the dough from escaping intospace between the counter-rotating rollers and the side wall with theadditional steps of: forming a groove adjacent to a first end of eachroller such that the grooves of the rollers are aligned; providing asaddle with first and second concave edges that mate with the first andsecond rollers, respectively, and extend downwardly below the pinchpoint; forming a tongue on each concave edge; and disposing the saddlewithin the pinch point between the rollers with the tongues extendinginto the grooves of the rollers from both a top and a bottom directionrelative to the pinch point, the first concave edge and the secondconcave edge diverging from one another as the concave edges extenddownwardly below the pinch point.
 2. The method in claim 1, furthercomprising the step of abutting the saddle to the side wall.
 3. Themethod in claim 2, further comprising the step of connecting the saddleto the side wall with a fastener.